Moon Visits 'Smart City' Songdo, Incheon
"Korean New Deal Must Be Carried Out Without Delay"
President Moon Jae-in is speaking at the "Korean New Deal-Linked Smart City Promotion Strategy Report Meeting" held on the afternoon of the 22nd at the Smart City Integrated Operation Center in Songdo, Incheon. President Moon Jae-in stated on the 22nd, "Through the Korean New Deal, we will invest more than 10 trillion won by 2025 to accelerate the early spread of smart cities and the digitalization of national social overhead capital (SOC)."
On the same day, President Moon visited the Integrated Operation Center of Songdo Smart City in Incheon Metropolitan City and said, "We will create a virtuous cycle structure where new markets, industries, and jobs are generated."
President Moon's visit to Songdo this time was made to check the progress of the smart city project, which is being promoted as a representative task of the Korean New Deal, and to encourage those involved.
Incheon Songdo is recognized as the first to introduce the concept of a smart city into urban management and has continuously developed it over the past 20 years to make residents' lives safer and more convenient. It is currently considered one of the leading models that other local governments promoting smart cities can refer to.
President Moon Jae-in visited the Smart City Integrated Operation Center in Songdo, Incheon, on the afternoon of the 22nd to receive a report on its operational status. This visit to Songdo, a leading model city for smart cities, marks his first visit related to the regional balanced New Deal and his sixth on-site event for the Korean New Deal.
At the Integrated Operation Center located in the G-Tower in Songdo, Incheon, President Moon received a report from the head of the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority on the importance and effectiveness of the integrated platform through actual cases that effectively responded to emergencies such as traffic, fire, and crime prevention.
In response, President Moon emphasized, "For existing cities to become smart as soon as possible, the plan to establish integrated platforms in 108 locations nationwide by the end of the year through the Korean New Deal must be carried out without any setbacks."
Then, moving to the main event hall on the first floor of G-Tower, President Moon said in his opening remarks, "Recently, non-face-to-face lifestyles have become common due to COVID-19, and unprecedented heavy rains this summer and other abnormal weather phenomena are expected to increase," adding, "Smart cities with digitalization that provide flexibility and rapid resilience necessary for crisis response in cities and the national territory are a policy that must succeed as a task of the times."
President Moon Jae-in is inspecting the Smart City Integrated Operation Center in Songdo, Incheon, on the afternoon of the 22nd.
Meanwhile, President Moon's schedule this time is the first regional visit related to the regional balanced New Deal following the joint meeting of provincial governors on the 13th, and the sixth field event related to the Korean New Deal. Around the announcement of the comprehensive plan for the Korean New Deal in July, President Moon visited Korean New Deal sites for ① Data Dam (June 18), ② Green Energy and Offshore Wind Power (July 17), ③ Green Smart School (August 18), ④ Smart Green Industrial Complex (September 17), and ⑤ Cultural Content Industry (September 24).
President Moon then visited a digital SOC small and medium enterprise developing Cooperative Autonomous Driving System (C-ITS) equipment along with the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Chairman of the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, and a Vice President of Hyundai Motor Company.
At this event, President Moon said, "Korea aims to commercialize fully autonomous driving worldwide for the first time by 2027 and plans to build the essential road digital infrastructure for cooperative autonomous driving nationwide starting next year, ahead of other countries," adding, "I ask many companies to invest and participate in technology development for the success of SOC digitalization."
☞Smart City
◎ Smart City Demonstration Cases (Provided by the Blue House)
#.1
Mr. Choi, a man in his 30s living in Yeongjong International City and commuting to Incheon Airport, recently enjoys more relaxed mornings thanks to the demand-responsive bus introduced by Incheon City. This bus operates without a fixed route, connecting locations optimally based on passenger calls through an app using artificial intelligence. The average waiting and travel times for public bus users have been reduced from 78 minutes and 27 minutes to about 15 minutes each.
#.2
Mr. Jung, in his 50s, who runs a small store in Daejeon Central Market, recently breathed a sigh of relief. A fire caused by an electrical short circuit at midnight almost spread widely. However, last year, as part of the smart city demonstration project, Daejeon City installed 314 sensors on aging electrical equipment, and when an abnormal signal was detected, an unmanned drone arrived on site within 2 minutes and quickly transmitted video to the fire station, preventing disaster.
#3
Ms. Lee, a woman in her 20s living alone in a one-room apartment in Anyang City, no longer feels anxious when leaving work late at night. She had pre-installed the Safe Return Home Service app introduced by Anyang City on her phone. In an emergency, shaking the phone sends location information and CCTV footage around to the smart city integrated center, enabling rapid police protection. The service is planned to gradually expand nationwide by the end of next year, allowing people to feel safe wherever they go.
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